The Court of Honor
Since 1878, the various buildings used by the Reich Chancellery were accessible via courtyards. The Reich Chancellor’s guests were received in the openly visible or concealed courtyards. Following this building tradition, Albert Speer built two Courts of Honor for the New Reich Chancellery. The inner courtyard of the New Reich Chancellery, which was not open to the public and is described in this book, played a central role in the spatial sequence of its representative rooms. Albert Speer saw the Court of Honor as a key space within the overall ensemble of the New Reich Chancellery. Here, on their way to the banquet halls of the Führer Building, the visitors entered the first area not visible to the public, of the Reich Chancellery.
The Court of Honor was designed by Speer as a courtyard that was, on the one hand, an interior space but at the same time also represented an external façade area. Because of this dual function, its architectural design was unique.This book describes the entire building history of the Court of Honor, starting from the first designs drawn up by Albert Speer in 1937 up to the demolition of the last facade of the courtyard in 1950. The often revised building designs, the construction, the later changes, the damages during the Battle of Berlin and demolition are described in detail. Furthermore, the architecture of the courtyard is analyzed for its impact on the viewer. In addition to the artificial lighting used in a very special way by Albert Speer, the architectural features of the facade design that arose through the integration of previous buildings are also discussed.
The “Work Analysis” book series
This book series presents an architectural analysis of the works of various architects of the Reich Chancellery. The books in the series are illustrated with numerous color computer graphics and historical photos. The computer graphics were created by Christoph Neubauer in order to be able to depict the areas of the Reich Chancellery that are not preserved in historical photos. This makes it possible for the author to show every construction detail he describes in full color illustrations. This book series focuses on the analysis of the architecture of the Reich Chancellery. The individual books in the series are strictly separated into the sub-areas of architect, creative period and component. Since there is no predetermined order in which the various books should be read, the reader is able to independently sort the various books in the series according to the various sub-areas.
Publication date: 2025 (1. Edition)
Binding: Hardcover/ Art print paper
Dimension: H 21 cm / B 29,7 cm
Pages: 108
Images: 147 mostly colored illustrations
Language: English
